The present invention relates to guiding magnetic tape from hubs across a tape access head.
Magnetic tape is commonly used to store voice and data information due to its reliability, cost efficiency, and ease of use. Magnetic tape may be made more useful and cost effective by increasing the density of information stored on the magnetic tape. One method of increasing information density is to decrease the thickness of the tape thereby permitting more tape to be stored in a given volume.
Decreasing the thickness of magnetic tape creates difficulties in a tape transport system. Thinner tape more easily stretches, increasing the possibility of read and write errors. Thin tape is also susceptible to folding, kinking, creasing, curling and other mechanical damage. Thin tape is more easily skewed relative to the tape head. These difficulties are exacerbated by complex tape transport systems requiring rollers, guides, pins, and the like to drive the tape and position the tape relative to the tape head.
What is needed is an effective tape transport system for thin tape. The tape transport system must be able to guide the magnetic tape past the tape head without causing mechanical damage. The tape transport system should further be simple, inexpensive, and easy to maintain.
It is an object of the present invention to guide thin magnetic tape past a tape head.
It is another object of the present invention to increase the volume density of information stored on magnetic tape.
It is still another object of the present invention to decrease the size of a tape system required to access a given volume of magnetic tape.
It is yet another object of the present invention to position magnetic tape relative to the tape head.
It is a further object of the present invention to protect magnetic tape from mechanical damage along the tape path.
It is a still further object of the present invention to reduce the complexity of the tape path.
In carrying out the above objects and other objects and features of the present invention, a tape transport system is provided. An enclosure with smooth interior surfaces contains two hubs for holding the magnetic tape. A tape head is positioned between the tape hubs so that the magnetic tape travels between the tape hubs and over a tape head contact surface. The tape head moves laterally in a direction parallel to the tape direction based on the amount of magnetic tape held on at least one of the hubs.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the tape head has two flanges on the contact surface for aligning the magnetic tape with the tape head. The flanges form a channel having a width substantially the same as the magnetic tape width, thereby positioning the tape transversely across the tape head.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the enclosure has an opening in a side between the first hub and the second hub. The enclosure has a registration feature extending into the opening. The tape head has a head registration surface for accepting the head registration feature, thereby positioning the enclosure relative to the tape head.
A method of guiding magnetic tape past the tape head is also provided. Magnetic tape extending between the hubs is contacted with the tape head. The tape is driven in a tape direction from the first hub, over a contact surface on the tape head, and onto the second hub. The tape head is positioned in a lateral direction between the hubs based on the amount of tape held on at least one of the hubs.